“K” is for Kingdom (Feb. 27, 2013)

…Opening To…

Yesterday, you understood a little; today, you understand better; tomorrow, you will understand better still: the light of God is growing in you. (St. Augustine of Hippo)

…Listening In…

Our Father who is in heaven, uphold the holiness of your name. Bring in your kingdom so that your will is done on earth as it’s done in heaven. (Matthew 6:9-10; context)

…Filling Up…

This Lent, we are exploring our faith by running through the alphabet. Today, “K” is for Kingdom. A kingdom is, essentially, a place where a king or queen lives. The legitimacy of the government of the ruler of the kingdom comes from the monarch himself or herself and not from the people governed. This political definition of “kingdom” leads to another, less gender specific word that has to do with kings and queens: sovereignty. A “sovereign” is a person who has complete authority over other people. If the sovereign asks you to jump, you say “How high.” Countries of the world don’t like it very much when other countries influence their affairs because it is a breach of national “sovereignty,” that is “self-determination.”

So what does this have to do with God? I’m glad you asked. As the Creator of all that is, God has always been the sovereign of Creation, but God ceded us our own personal sovereignty when God granted us free will. When we pray, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done,” we are actively praying for the ability to give ourselves back to God, to cede our sovereignty back to its rightful home. When we ask God to annex our personal territory back into God’s kingdom, we set up pockets of resistance against the forces of evil that are attempting to pull Creation into non-being (more about this in a few days). And when we join together into communities of faith, those pockets of territory become larger, more organized forces that participate in the in-breaking of God’s kingdom here on Earth.

…Praying For…

Dear God, you are the sovereign of all Creation; help me to recognize how I may work with you to make your kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

…Sending Out…

I leave this moment with you, God, thankful that you continue to shine your light in my heart and mind, that I may continue to know you better through every way that you choose to reveal yourself.

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One thought on ““K” is for Kingdom (Feb. 27, 2013)”

The kingdom of God that Jesus announced and taught us to pray for was especially about how God had sent and anointed a new king–the Christ/Messiah, the anointed one–who would gather around him a new kingdom (of disciples, who followed the way of the new king, Jesus Christ).

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I am honored and blessed to serve Godas the rector of St. Mark's Episcopal Churchin Mystic, Connecticut.

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